Dr. W.C. Maples, Southern College of Optometry (SCO) Professor, has been honored with the establishment of a student scholarship award in his honor.
The Dr. W.C. Maples Award for Clinical Excellence in Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation was announced by Dr. Marc Taub, Chief of Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Services and Dr. Glen Steele, Chief of Pediatrics at The Eye Center at SCO.
“What he has given to optometry, specifically behavioral optometry, cannot be quantified,” said Dr. Taub. “He has personally participated in the optometric education of several thousand doctors of optometry, putting all of his effort into reaching each and every one.”
He noted that Dr. Maples is a former president of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) and that he was recognized earlier this year with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Congress of Behavioral Optometry (ICBO).
“This award is great news,” said SCO President Dr. Richard W. Phillips. “He is a very worthy individual to be honored.”
Also joining Drs. Taub and Phillips for the announcement were two long-time colleagues and former classmates of Dr. Maples – Dr. Glen Steele and Dr. Al Fors – both of whom were similarly honored two years ago with the establishment of a student scholarship award in their honor.
Dr. Maples is a 1968 SCO graduate who joined the SCO faculty five years ago after three decades of service on the faculty at the Northeastern State University College of Optometry in Oklahoma.
Recipients of the Dr. W.C. Maples Award will be students with a grade of honors in the Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation clinical course, an active member of COVD, and who write an essay on how clinical experience influences the way they will treat and include vision therapy in their future optometry practice.
Colleagues or former students of Dr. Maples may contribute to this new award by contacting Brenda Pearson, SCO’s Director of Development, at (901) 722-3285 or by email at bpearson@sco.edu.
Photo: Dr. Maples was joined by his colleagues in Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Services for the announcement.